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Hi to allI'm sure that some of You remember endless and I think longest forum talk between Gemini and Elixir. Before 10 years....I eat a lot of pizza reading that interesting talk.... I'm thinking......now........After all those years we have situation that Benson continue work on his Gemini , we can see update version on his web page... Why.... very simple, Because Benson still suport his design! It is older then Deep space but still in the kite world existing with its own personality..... We can see that Benson made all its old model...But Prism forgot Elixir... pitty...Yes they made E2. ........... then made E3...But We didn't see Elixir 2.Elixir is (un???)finished Elixir story but Gemini 's still live....

One of the first kites I purchased was a Minigem and nowdays when it is blowing the oysters off the rocks I get it out and fly it. I always come home with a huge grin! All the Gems are way cool. The UL is a very nice kite. Mike

It's big, beautiful, will backspin or barrel roll, and will yoyo and fly around without stoppers or weights.

I'm with John on this one. The more I fly my elixirs the more I like them. The only update I can see the elixir needing (other than a good replacement for the g-force ul spreaders) is a roll bar or yoyo stop addition to make catching the lines more reliable. I've tried adding tail weight in different amounts up to 20g and it doesn't need it. Roll ups are just as fast stock or with 10g, over 10 and it hurts the kite.

Flying wise the gem (original) and elixir are very similar. The gem backspins a smidge easier where the Lix rolls up a bit easier. I find double axels and 1080's easier on the lix. SLots are the same on both. Cascades are a bit nicer on the lix. Hands down the gem tracks a lot better than the lix and figures are clean and crisp (not so much on the new gem though. it lost precision with the narrower spine area). Personally I liked my gem better with the original cross-over active bridle than I do with the cross-active upgrade. The kite was more responsive and lighter on the lines.

The Gem was much easier to fly for less experienced folks, and a whole lot more durable. In experienced hands they are both great kites. The Elixir like a lighter touch, more "finesse" while the Gem can be tossed around and stay in the air. It's only fair to compare 1999 versions of each kite. The lix stayed the same while the Gem was pretty much under constant evolution. A modern Gem is a much more capable kite than an Elixir.

The Gem was much easier to fly for less experienced folks, and a whole lot more durable. In experienced hands they are both great kites. The Elixir like a lighter touch, more "finesse" while the Gem can be tossed around and stay in the air. It's only fair to compare 1999 versions of each kite. The lix stayed the same while the Gem was pretty much under constant evolution. A modern Gem is a much more capable kite than an Elixir.

Both of my elixirs as well as my gem are 99 vintage and I do fly them side by side. The new gem isn't all that different from the original. From what I got from TIm the few changes were bridle, skyshark frame (and I Gathered Tim like the original frame better when getting info from him on my first gen) and slightly narrower space in between the spines. TUrtle based tricks on both kites seem to need the same finesse to me but your right in that the lix need more finesse at the lower end of the range.

I argued this point around a year ago, that Prism had lost touch with the upper echelon of flyers. They instead opted to produce kites for the masses. Few companies have the resources and financial backing to invest a lot of R & D into their kites. Prism does, but now focuses on mid range as opposed to high end. It would be great to see an updated q-pro with all the latest mods.

I argued this point around a year ago, that Prism had lost touch with the upper echelon of flyers. They instead opted to produce kites for the masses. Few companies have the resources and financial backing to invest a lot of R & D into their kites. Prism does, but now focuses on mid range as opposed to high end. It would be great to see an updated q-pro with all the latest mods.

That's not TOO MUCH to ask is it.......

I know how hard Mark works and how huge of a job it is to have a company as successful as Prism. He's supposed to do all that, weather a huge recession, have a new baby and have time to design kites that relatively few people will buy? The guy has already done a huge amount of the sport kite world. I think we could maybe cut him a little slack and just be grateful for the kites he does put out. Name another kite company with a product line like Prism's.

A person can go to a retail store like REI and buy a very high quality kite that is still affordable. Mark is a hero for pulling that off.

There are still tons of "high end" kites we can all buy. Let's just be thankful for what we have.

Oh, and Gem VS Elixir... They're both great kites. Get one of each and have maximum fun.

I personally like the Elixir more because I love how it looks doing freestyle moves. So damn smooth... It has the best looking backspin ever. Flattest and slowest by a mile. And it's just pitch stable enough for sweet flat spins. Flick flacks and nose away control are to die for.

Negatives are that it flies like a dog turd.... Terrible precision. You've got to put in some serious hours before you can really extract the soul stirring awesomeness. It's like playing a violin; it sounds terrible until you get good, but the payoff is huge if you stick with it.

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